Maury Povich announces retirement after 31 seasons of 'Maury': 'Enough, already!'
Maury Povich — the longest-running daytime talkshow host in the history of broadcast television — will be retiring after the current season of his self-titled talkshow, TODAY has confirmed.
News broke this weekend that “Maury,” which is on its 31st season, will complete its run of original episodes in September 2022 and will not return for another season. Representatives from NBCUniversal confirmed the news to TODAY via email, sharing a statement from the talkshow host about his decision to retire.
“Six years ago when I was ready to retire, my NBCUniversal family asked me to continue the show,” Povich said. “Even though I told them I was ready for assisted living, out of loyalty to NBCUniversal and my more than 100 staff and crew members, Tracie Wilson and I agreed to one more deal. I’m so proud of my relationship with NBCUniversal and all those who worked on the ‘Maury’ show but as I occasionally tell my guests on ‘Maury,’ ‘Enough, already!’”
Tracie Wilson — executive vice president of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios — told TODAY in a statement, “Maury and I decided two years ago that this season would be the farewell season for the show, and while his retirement is bittersweet, we are so happy for him to be able to spend more time on the golf course.”
“Maury is a television icon, a pop culture legend and we couldn’t be more proud to have been a part of his incredible career,” she added.
The long-running talkshow will end its original episodes later this year, but with over 3,600 episodes over the decades, there will still be plenty in syndication to provide entertainment years beyond its end date.
“Maury” premiered in 1991, originally titled “The Maury Povich Show.” Over the decades, the show has become famous for centering stories on familial and relationship issues. Episodes have heavily included publicly airing results from paternity tests, popularizing the catchphrase “You are not the father,” which Povich eventually turned into a board game.
Povich, host and executive producer of the show, got his start in broadcast journalism five decades ago, first working as a street reporter in Washington D.C. before transitioning to the local station, WTTG-TV, according to the show’s website.
He spent 15 years during the 1960s and 70s hosting a daily live news talkshow called “Panorama,” then became a newscast anchor across multiple television stations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco over the course of seven years.
After a return to WTTG-TV in the early 80s to host “Panorama” and the 10 o’clock news, he moved to New York and was part of the creation of the “A Current Affair” in 1986. He left after five years to host his own show, thus kicking off his legacy at “Maury.”
NBCUniversal is the parent company of TODAY.
